Russia and Britain may sign an agreement on cooperation in the military-technical sphere January 31, 2014 Print
A few days ago, the British press published the first information about a possible agreement between Britain and Russia. According to the newspaper The Telegraph, the contract will be signed in the spring of this year, after which the two countries will be able to start cooperation in the military-technical sphere. Official confirmation of the existence of the draft agreement has not yet appeared, but British journalists lead several unnamed sources saying.

Citing a UK Ministry of Defence reported that the parties are currently working on the full text of the agreement and make any necessary changes. Agreement, which must sign the British Ministry of Defense and the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, define the conditions, rights and obligations of defense enterprises of the two countries in the field of military technology. The exact terms of the agreement have not yet become known.

As the newspaper writes The Telegraph, the main consequence of a bilateral agreement would be the ability to buy abroad weaponry and equipment. Thus, the British military will be able to buy Russian weapons and equipment, and the Russian army will be able to buy military products made in England. In this case, however, the cooperation between the two countries will not be limited to the purchase of finished products. It is possible that the UK defense companies and Russia will share technologies and work on joint projects.

The subject of future transactions may be different military products. For example, the publication of The Telegraph mentions the opinion of an unnamed Russian diplomats. They hope that in the foreseeable future, a new contract will be the most interesting consequences, including the supply of Kalashnikovs in the British armed forces. Of course, such expectations can not be justified, but mutually purchase various items of equipment or equipment look quite real.

According to The Telegraph, a new agreement between Russia and Britain will touch "technology free access." Based on this information, it is possible to delineate the approximate range of technologies and products that will be the subject of further bilateral agreements. Most likely, the parties will be ordered from each other certain products that are not associated with complex and new technologies. Therefore unlikely that Russia and the United Kingdom will sell each other armor or anti-aircraft missile systems.

The parties are currently preparing a draft agreement only and therefore it is too early to talk about its conditions and consequences of the military-political or military-technical nature. Nevertheless, we can already note that such an agreement will be useful for countries in terms of international relations. After a series of events in recent years, relations between Moscow and London officials have deteriorated markedly. Signing contracts on cooperation in military-technical sphere will necessarily have a positive effect on relations between the two countries.

Cooperation in the military-technical sphere can also be seen as a way to expand economic ties between the two countries. So, now in Russia employs about 600 British companies. For comparison, the number of German firms doing business in our country, more than an order of magnitude more about their 7000. Agreement on cooperation in the field of armaments, equipment and equipment can attract British businessmen in Russia and thereby positively affect the economic ties between the two countries.

International agreement, the signing of which can be held this spring, will be another step in strengthening ties between Russia and the UK. Strategic dialogue between the foreign and defense ministers of the two countries began thanks to an agreement Russian President Vladimir Putin and British Prime Minister David Cameron. In 2012, they agreed on the need for new talks with the participation of diplomats and military.

Bilateral dialogue continued in March 2013, when defense ministers Sergei Shoigu and F. Hammond discussed general issues of cooperation in the military sphere. Finally, last fall, Russia and Britain agreed to joint security for the upcoming Olympic Games in Sochi. In accordance with the existing agreement, the British security services will have all possible assistance to the Russian colleagues.

As you can see, the information available on possible Russian-British agreement on cooperation in the military-technical sphere speaks about the upcoming improvements and strengthening the ties between the two countries. At the same time, the British press published information that has not yet received official confirmation, do not allow to speak confidently about the consequences of signing a new agreement. Perhaps some points of agreement will certainly be useful for the Russian defense industry and the armed forces, and other implementation will involve some problems.

Published information at this stage allows only the most general assumptions. If employees of the edition The Telegraph received the correct information, then the terms of the Russian-British agreement will be available in the next few months. As already mentioned, according to British journalists, the contract will be signed in the spring.
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